Tangled Up In Time
by likemycoffee
Summary: The story of how The Doctor and The Master's relationship develops through the ages, through the good times and the bad, using a series of different prompts. Theta/Koschei; Doctor/Master. AU. SLASH. Not in chronological order but easy to follow.
1. Loneliness and Friendship: Age 7

**Notes: Tangled up in Time is a series of prompt based fics telling the story of Theta and Koschei's relationship. It will later on become Doctor/Master. **

**The series won't be in chronological order it will jump around through the years. **

**I will take elements from Doctor Who canon, but be warned that this is AU. I don't stick faithfully to canon events and what I do use may be changed or manipulated to suit my story. **

**I hope you enjoy it.**

Theta sat on the fallen tree stump in the woods that covered the summit of Mount Perdition. He wasn't supposed to be here. Mount Perdition was on the border of Lord Oakdown's estate and his father had always told him to keep away from it, but hadn't planned to come up here. He'd just planned to run; he'd wanted to run as far and as fast as he could so that he didn't have to listen to Glospin's name calling anymore and as it turned out, as far and as fast as he could run had brought him here.

He stared up at the sky, blinking and trying unsuccessfully to stop the tears from falling down his cheeks.

It was late. Darkness had fallen an hour earlier and Theta should have been home at least an hour before that, but still he made no attempt to move. He wondered if anyone back at the house had noticed he was gone, or if any of them would even care if they had – his father was away on business in the Citadel so Theta very much doubted it. His cousins would only look for him when they wanted something to kick.

Theta stared up at the stars and wished with all his hearts that he could just go; that he could take a TARDIS and just go somewhere else – anywhere was better than here. Maybe he could go to Earth; maybe on Earth he would belong. He didn't belong on Galifrey that was certain and he didn't kid himself that anyone here would be sad to see him go.

His mother was dead and while his father, Brax and Chi might miss him for a while, they were all so busy that they'd soon forget about him and carry on with their own lives; his cousins would probably throw a party to celebrate his departure.

He brought his hand up to his face and wiped the tears from his eyes.

'Why are you crying?'

Theta turned around as the small voice reached his ears. He found himself face to face with another boy who looked to be about the same age as he was, wearing expensive looking dress robes. Theta sniffed.

'Who are you?'

'I'm Koschei of the House of Oakdown,' the boy answered formally. 'Who are you?'

'Theta Sigma of the House of Lungbarrow,' he replied. His mother had always told him to remember his manners when meeting someone for the first time.

Koschei approached Theta and carefully sat down on the fallen tree stump beside him.

'Why are you crying?'

Theta shrugged. 'I ran away from home.'

'Cool,' Koschei replied. 'Why did you do that?'

'Because my cousin Glospin called me a freak,' Theta said. 'He said I'm not a proper Gallifreyan because my mother came from Earth. Then the others all started laughing at me and I hate them all. So I ran away.'

'Where are you going to go?' Koschei asked.

Theta shrugged. In truth he hadn't really thought his plan through much further than just never wanting to see his cousins again.

'You could stay here I suppose,' Koschei told him. 'But you might have to go back home sometimes to get food and things.'

'Yeah,' Theta replied. 'I don't want to ever go home though.'

'Me neither,' Koschei said glumly. 'My father's having a party and I'm supposed to stand there and not move and not speak unless anyone speaks to me first.'

'Won't there be any other children to play with?'

Koschei shook his head. 'There's never any children to play with. Do you have any friends at home?'

'No,' Theta replied. He'd never had any real friends. All the children who lived in his village were scared of his cousins and so at best, they all ignored Theta and at worst they actively joined in the teasing in order to be considered part of the gang.

Theta felt tears welling up in his eyes again as he thought about it.

'Hey,' Koschei said putting an arm around Theta as the tears threatened to spill over again. 'Don't cry Theta. I've never had a friend either.'

'Why?' Theta said shocked. Koschei looked like the sort of boy who would have no problem being popular. His clothes were modern and expensive looking; his hair was cut in a fashionable style and when Theta looked at his face, he saw that Koschei was beautiful; how could he ever have a problem fitting in?

'I'm not allowed,' Koschei said sadly. 'My father says I don't need friends and I have to concentrate on my studies so that I can get into the top classes at the Academy next year. I told him I don't need to study because I'll pass the entrance tests easily, but he slapped me and told me to answer back.'

'Oh' Theta replied then he paused before continuing. 'Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a friend?'

Koschei nodded. 'My father's friends are really boring. When they come to our house all they do is talk about politics; my mother's just as bad.'

Theta made a face at that. He hated having to sit and listen to the grown ups talk about politics. It seemed that that was the only thing that interested anybody on Gallifrey.

'My sister Chi has friends,' Theta told Koschei. 'But all they ever talk about is hairstyles and clothes and boys that they like, except now Chi's gone to the Academy maybe she'll start talking about politics too.'

'Do you think we could be friends?' Koschei asked almost shyly, looking nervously at Theta.

'Really?' Theta asked, surprised. 'But don't you think I'm a freak because my mother came from Earth?'

'No,' Koschei shook his head. 'I think it's cool. My mother just comes from the Citadel; Earth would be so much more interesting.'

Theta looked into Koschei's eyes for any sign that he was joking; that he was about to turn on him but he found none. He saw only honesty and an underlying nervousness; fear of rejection.

'What would we talk about though?' he asked.

'Everything,' Koschei replied. 'Anything we want.'

Theta grinned at the sparkle in Koschei's eyes.

'Okay,' he agreed. 'Let's be friends.'

Koschei smiled and took Theta's hand in his. Suddenly, Theta felt as though he was filled with warmth. He squeezed Koschei's hand and felt as though he never wanted to let it go.

Theta rested his head against Koschei's shoulder and sighed; he felt happy for the first time in a long time and although he knew that he was going to have to go back home eventually, maybe now that Koschei was his friend, the loneliness wouldn't seem so bad.


	2. The Sound of Drums: Age 16

**The Sound of Drums (Age 16)**

**Prompt #80: Noise**

**Genre: Hurt/ Comfort**

**Summary: Koschei is troubled by the drumming.**

Theta was lying on his back staring up at the gloomy high vaulted ceilings of Dormitory 7 without really seeing it. It was half an hour since the lights had been turned out and the room shrouded in darkness. In eighteen of the other beds that filled the enormous space, his peers were also lying silently asleep or waiting for sleep to claim them. In the nineteenth bed, four spaces down to the left of his own, Theta could feel that Koschei was lying awake and that he was still in agony.

All day Koschei had been suffering. The noise that he could hear inside his head; the drumming had been so loud that it was actually causing him pain. Koschei had struggled on through his lessons, refusing to tell the professors that he was ill despite Theta's pleas. By the time that the pair had finally been released from Temporal Science, their final lesson of the day Koschei could barely see straight. He had clung to Theta's arm and he'd led his friend back to their dormitory; Koschei had lain down on his bed, refusing to move, even for dinner.

Theta had spent the evening sitting with him running his hands across Koschei's forehead trying to sooth the pain for him but then the bell had sounded for lights out and Theta had had to go to his own bed but he couldn't even think of trying to sleep when he knew Koschei was suffering so badly.

A snore, from the bed on Theta's right, told him that Amis had finally fallen asleep. Theta breathed a sigh of relief. Amis was known to be the biggest tell-tale in the eighth year and if he caught Theta sneaking around after lights out, then it was a certainty that the professors would hear about it and he would find himself in serious trouble; possibly even transferred to another dormitory before breakfast. They wouldn't care about his reasons. They'd only care that he had broken the rules.

Another fifteen minutes passed by, Theta counted them by the quiet ticking of the Grandfather clock that stood at the end of the long corridor-like chamber and then he heard it; the door at the far end of the dormitory clicked open and the night orderly entered making bed-checks. These checks were made every two hours during the night, just in case any students were tempted to get out of bed for any reason other than to use the bathroom.

Theta heard the night orderly pass by his bed and listened while he continued on his way, eventually when he heard him leave the room Theta slowly slid his blankets back and sat up.

His eyes had become accustomed to the darkness and Theta was able to manoeuvre himself past four of his sleeping classmates in absolute silence and find his way to Koschei's bed.

Koschei's eyes were open but he didn't move at all as Theta pulled back his bed covers and slid underneath them. He blinked only once as Theta clasped his hand tightly and shuffled close so that their bodies were flush against each other in the small space.

'Are you ok?' Theta asked, through the psychic link that they had shared since they were ten years old.

'No,' Koschei replied and Theta felt a tremor pass through his body. 'They're getting louder Thete. I can't stand it.'

'Ssh,' Theta soothed. He kept Koschei's hand clasped tightly in his left hand and brought his right hand up to gently caress Koschei's forehead.

'Can't you hear them?' Koschei asked desperately pleading and Theta saw that there were tears pricking at his eyes.

'No,' Theta replied sadly. 'I'm so sorry Kosch. I wish I could I really do.'

'It's real,' Koschei insisted. 'It's real. Why can't you hear it?'

'I don't know love,' Theta told him, feeling so utterly helpless. It broke his hearts to see Koschei in so much pain and distress. 'I wish you'd tell the nurses.'

'I can't,' Koschei replied, suddenly looking terrified. 'I can't tell anybody Thete. They'll think I'm mad. Father will send me away. I can't... please don't tell anybody.'

'I won't,' Theta reassured him. 'I promised you love and I meant it. I won't tell them.'

'Thank you,' Koschei sighed, relieved and then shook his head sharply, screwing his eyes up tightly. 'Why won't they be quiet? I can't think; I can't sleep. I can't stand it anymore. I just want it to stop.'

Theta let out a breath as he watched Koschei's beautiful face contorted in pain. He wanted to do something, anything to take his pain away. Theta concentrated hard and focused all of his energy on their psychic link. He could feel Koschei's pain; his anxiety and fear but he couldn't hear anything in Koschei's mind; there was no noise at all.

Theta let his mind begin to wander; picturing anything and everything that he thought might help sooth Koschei. He thought about the time that they had spent together as children playing in the woods on the summit of Mount Perdition, building dens out of sticks and hiding themselves away in their own little world; how safe they'd felt up there just the two of them.

Gradually Theta felt Koschei begin to relax.

Theta's thoughts shifted. He pictured the river bank near his family home. Koschei loved it there. He remembered the day that they'd spent sitting there for hours watching the water running over the rocks, just sitting together in companionable silence and then he remembered how Koschei had leaned over and kissed him and how nervous excitement had pooled in the pit of his stomach as he'd shyly responded.

Koschei's breathing became more regular, his muscles unclenched.

Then Theta leaned forward and kissed Koschei lightly, all the time whispering words of love and devotion through their link. He felt Koschei respond and gradually he deepened the kiss, running his hand across Koschei's back in a comforting motion.

'I love you,' Theta whispered as they parted for air.

'I love you too,' Koschei replied softly. 'They've stopped.'

Theta smiled and pulled Koschei close to him. Koschei responded by burying his face in Theta's neck.

'Sleep now, love,' Theta told him. He held Koschei until he felt his breathing change and he knew that his lover had fallen asleep.

Theta pressed a kiss to Koschei's forehead and lay there a while longer watching the face of his lover relaxed in sleep. Then, carefully, so as not to wake Koschei, Theta slipped out from under the covers and carefully made his way back to his own bed.

As he nestled his head against the pillow Theta allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief but he was still worried. It wasn't right, this drumming; in fact it frightened him. This was the worst attack that he'd ever witnessed Koschei suffering and Theta wished with all his hearts that he would stop being so stubborn and ask for help; he could at least mention it to the Prydonian nurses or to his parents.

The thought occurred to him that he could do it himself. He could go to the nurses and tell them about Koschei's attacks, but that would mean breaking his lover's confidence and Theta knew that he could never do it. Koschei was his best friend and more than that Theta was in love with him. He couldn't betray his trust. Koschei would never forgive him if he did.

No. Theta would just have to hope that this was something that would get better over time; that it would pass.

Theta closed his eyes but sleep didn't come quickly.


End file.
